There's something about noon football at Lambeau Field that soothes the soul. Growing up in the 90s it seemed like you could bank on the Packers playing early Sunday afternoon. The weekly ritual was to turn on the TV a little before noon and see a packed house full of green and gold ready to rock. Today the Packers will face the Indianapolis Colts for their second game of the season coming off a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. 

The last time these two teams met was in late November of 2020 when the Colts pulled off a 34-31 win over a Packers team that turned the ball over four times. An Aaron Rodgers interception and fumble, as well as fumbles from Darrius Shepherd and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, did the Packers no favors in this game handing the Packers their 3rd loss of the season. 

The Packers are coming off a loss in Brazil to the Philadelphia Eagles where they also lost Quarterback Jordan Love for an undetermined period to an MCL injury sustained in the final five seconds of the game. While trying to get rid of the ball and keep the Packers' hopes alive, Love's leg was seemingly rolled up on by Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter, likely resulting in the injury. After the Packers just didn't play a clean game, failing to get in the end-zone early off turnovers as well as committing ten penalties for a total of 71 yards. The Packers won the turnover battle early but had to settle for field goals and it came back to bite them later when the defense just couldn't get off the field. 

In the first game of the season, you expect some sloppiness and growing pains. Especially when the starting units don't play together as much in the preseason. The loss of Jordan Love for a few games may set the offense back a bit, but the Packers will be looking for their defense to step it up in his absence to keep this team in a good position to win and that task starts today against Indianapolis.     

What to see on Offense

Let's start with the obvious. Matt LaFleur kept saying all week long that Jordan Love would be given every chance possible to play. But let's be honest, it wasn't happening. This was just a tactic to try to keep the Colts honest which everyone knows wasn't going to work, but hey, why not still keep it in the back of their heads? Malik Willis will be getting the start at Quarterback. If you look at Willis' NFL career, it doesn't look promising. To the naked eye, it seems like he can't pass very well and that the Packers will be relying on the run heavily. Well, I'm here to tell you, that about 1/3 drop-backs for Willis in Tennessee were designed runs. He wasn't given that great of a chance to throw the ball, he was used more as a runner. Truth be told, Willis is a bit of a gunslinger. Starting two seasons at Liberty, Willis threw for 5,122 yards, 47 touchdowns, and 18 INTs. Yes, he's a running threat too as in those years he had 1,822 yards on the ground with 27 rushing touchdowns, but that's not all he is.

When it comes to the options for passing, Malik Willis does have the arm strength to take the deep shot. It may not be quite as accurate as a Jordan Love, but the arm talent is present. There will likely be a lot of quick passes, jet sweeps, and bubble screens to get the ball out of Willis' hands quickly and get him into a rhythm, but don't be surprised to see the Packers take a couple of deep shots to keep the defense honest. In this past week's practice, it was noted that Willis had a few good connections with Romeo Doubs so Doubs along with the Packers' tight ends could see a lot of action up the middle as well getting the passing game going. 

They will still get their opportunities through the air, but I would also expect to see Jayden Reed and Christian Watson come out of the backfield often. Jet sweeps, end-arounds, reverses, anything to utilize their speed and playmaking abilities to keep the Colts' defense honest. 

Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley plays a lot of cover 3 defense and isn't necessarily known to deviate away from the course. Most would expect a lot of blitzing on an unsure QB, but that may not be the case today, however, if ready to go, the Colts defensive front doesn't exactly need the help.

Defensive linemen DeForest Buckner and Kwity Paye are as good as they come along the defensive front. They both didn't practice a lot this week due to injury but are expected to play today. The Eagles' defensive front gave the Packers some issues last week and I would expect more of the same against Buckner and Paye unless the offensive line can tighten up to help make Malik Willis' job easier. 

If the Packers can win the battle in the trenches, the Colts' secondary is pretty banged up and could be an area to exploit. Safety Julian Blackmon will be out today, and the Colts will also be without CB JuJu Brents who was placed on IR. Safety and defensive back depth has been a bit of a concern for Indianapolis but the question is, is this the perfect game for them to be without Blackmon given the absence of Jordan Love? Or will Malik Willis be able to take advantage? 

Many are expecting today to be a big day for Josh Jacobs. Rightfully so, after the Colts gave up 213 yards on the ground, 159 of which to Texans' RB Joe Mixon, you would think Jacobs along with Emanuel Wilson could factor greatly into today's game. Well, I'm not ruling out the possibility, but last week the Colts were more focused on not letting CJ Stroud beat them with his arm, so they took their chances on the ground. This week, I don't think they're as worried about Malik Willis as they were about Stroud, so I would expect a lot of stacked boxes to hold Jacobs and force Willis to beat them through the air. 

What to See on Defense

Last week the Packers defense had two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Sounds like a pretty good day at the office right? Well, for the most part, it would be if the offense didn't only score 9 points off those turnovers. Had 21 points come off those turnovers we'd probably be talking about a different game this week entirely. Had the score been 27-17 at the half, perhaps the Packers' defense would've been able to pin its ears back and pass rush a bit more and wouldn't have gotten gashed as badly on the ground. It's possible.

Jonathan Taylor poses a big threat to that run defense though. He may have only had 16 carries for 48 yards and a TD against the Texans, but Taylor is a threat to have a big game on the ground any week that he's healthy. You can't quite stack the box against the Colts as Quarterback Anthony Richardson can still do some damage through the air, but the Packers' defensive front is going to have to stay strong against the run if they want to have any prayer of a chance. Edgerrin Cooper did a great job in attacking the ball carrier after he eventually entered the game last Friday. I would look for Cooper to be a big factor in limiting Jonathan Taylor today from the linebacker position. 

Anthony Richardson at first glance comes off as a rushing QB. He definitely has that talent and looking at last week's game, six carries for 56 yards and a TD absolutely demonstrates that. But coincidentally, the Colt's coaching staff would probably prefer he throw the ball. They need him healthy and if he leaves the bulk of the rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor, that will surely happen. Richardson has a rocket for an arm and he showed that off last Sunday against the Texans with two big deep throws to Alec Pierce. The Packers did a good job of containing Jalen Hurts' running threat the previous week, they will look to do the same against Richardson, but they need to protect against the deep shot. 

When it comes to the Colts' receivers, Michael Pittman is the clear number one. However, Pittman is more of a possession, move-the-chains receiver, and not so much known for the deep shot. That's not to say he couldn't get it done, but keeping Pittman blanketed will be key to taking away his threat to move the chains. As noted before, Alec Pierce is more of the deep threat, so if we want to remove Richardson's ability to beat us deep, we'll want to keep a safety over Pierce as much as possible.  

If I'm Jeff Hafley and I'm game-planning for today's match-up, I'm playing a lot of nickel. But in that nickel corner position, I'm placing Evan Williams. I was dumbfounded throughout the season opener to not see number 33 on the field at all on defense. If you ask me, it was an absolutely preposterous move. We have a straight-up baller in Evan Williams. He is a sure-tackler zeroing in on the ball carrier at all times and can make plays in pass defense as well. Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard can be the two safeties behind, and Evan WIlliams will be the nickel corner. He provides that extra boost against the run and also has the speed to stick with receivers and tight ends. Hopefully, our new defensive coordinator feels the same and we see much more of Evan Williams on defense this time around. Coach the team you have, and use their strengths to your advantage, get your ballers on the field.

Extra Notes

Let's get loud Lambeau. It's the home opener. I know expectations aren't very high and many people will be a little let down with Jordan Love not being at the helm, but these are the games when teams need that home-field advantage the most. When their backs are against the wall, having that home crowd behind them to throw off the opposing offense's cadence, and just to lift the spirits in every other area, it can work wonders. If you're heading to the game today, let the team know you have their back. 

Speaking of having backs, the Packers themselves expressed a backing of Malik Willis. It's going to be hard to overcome the loss of Jordan Love in his absence but it's good to see the team is running on all cylinders to support Malik Willis for however long is needed and hopefully, that support might win us a game or two, however many are needed.

In the End

This isn't the way we thought we'd be starting the regular season. But that's football. They don't pause the schedule so that you can lick your wounds and get back into shape, the show must go on. We certainly didn't see Malik Willis being our starting QB entering week 2, but that's the hand we've been dealt. Oddly enough though, this may be the perfect time to have it happen. If Willis can even be a serviceable Quarterback, I think the Packers can still pull off a win today against the Colts. Go Pack Go.